Allen West (attempted Alcatraz escapee) 3110184 222842699 2008-07-01T11:25:00Z Cydebot 1215485 Robot - Moving category Deaths of peritonitis to Deaths from peritonitis per [[WP:CFD|CFD]] at [[Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2008 June 21]]. {{for|the guitarist|Allen West (musician)}} {{Unreferenced|date=April 2008}} [[Image:AllenWest Mythbusters.png|thumb|325px|Allen West (Screenshot from ''[[MythBusters]]'')]] '''Allen Clayton West''' (born [[September 10]], [[1926]] in [[New York City]] - died [[December 21]], [[1978]] in [[Gainesville, Florida|Gainesville]]) was one of the conspirators who took part in the preparation and planning of the 1962 escape from [[Alcatraz]] prison. Allen West was sent to the [[United States Penitentiary, Atlanta|Atlanta Penitentiary]] and the [[Florida State Prison]]. He was sent to prison for [[Carjacking|hijacking]] as a car thief. He met [[Frank Morris]] and the Anglin Brothers at [[Atlanta]]. He was sent to [[Alcatraz]] in 1957 charged with attempting escape. West became prisoner AZ1335 in 1957. Morris and the Anglins were sent to [[Alcatraz]] in the years [[1960]] and [[1961]]. By September, 1961, [[Frank Morris]] planned an escape from Alcatraz with West and the Anglins. The escape was planned by West, [[Frank Morris]], and brothers [[John Anglin|John]] and [[Clarence Anglin]]. West was the only conspirator who did not actually participate in the escape, due to the fact that he was not able to open his room's ventilator grill in time, but, perhaps, because at that moment he was taken by some dread, too. The other three were able to do so and by the time West was able to open the one in his room the others were gone and had taken the life raft they made to escape. With no other means to exit, West had no choice but to stay back. He did give several interviews after the incident to the [[FBI]] and authorities in which he explained their role and strategy to escape. The other three were never seen again. West was never charged for trying to escape. Allen West left [[Alcatraz]] on [[February 6]], [[1963]], and later transferred to [[Atlanta]] where he was released from [[United States Penitentiary, Atlanta|federal prison]] on [[January 7]], [[1965]], and sent to [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and then [[Florida]] to serve prison sentences in those states. Released in [[1967]], but a year later arrested again in Florida on charges of [[grand larceny]], [[robbery]] and attempted escape. On January [[1969]], he went to [[Florida State Prison]] for [[life imprisonment]]. On [[October 30]], [[1972]], West fatally knifed another prisoner in what was probably a racial incident. In December [[1978]], he was sent to the [[Shands Teaching Hospital]] for severe [[Abdomen|abdominal]] pains. He died on [[December 21]], [[1978]] of [[peritonitis]]. He was fifty-one. In the 1979 movie ''[[Escape from Alcatraz (film)|Escape from Alcatraz]]'' Allen West was played by [[Larry Hankin]]. However his character's name was changed to "Charley Butts" for an unknown reason. == See also == * [[Frank Morris]] * [[John Anglin]] * [[Clarence Anglin]] * [[Escape from Alcatraz]] {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Allen}} [[Category:1926 births]] [[Category:1978 deaths]] [[Category:American criminals]] [[Category:People from New York City]] [[Category:Crime biography stubs]] [[Category:Alcatraz inmates]] [[Category:Deaths from peritonitis]] {{US-crime-bio-stub}} [[it:Allen West]] [[nl:Allen West]]